


The World Goes Blind and I Lose My Mind

by whoopsydaisie



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: (GOOD), Angst, Canonical Child Abuse, Credence Barebone Deserves Better, Credence Barebone Gets a Hug, Credence Barebone Needs a Hug, Credence loves his sisters very much, Gen, I reread this recently and boy oh boy doesn’t my grammar need divine intervention, We Need To Talk About Credence, because this is how I want it to be, like I used some of it but changed some parts, so jot that down, sort of canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 10:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10875204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoopsydaisie/pseuds/whoopsydaisie
Summary: Tina tried to save him.  She really tried.





	The World Goes Blind and I Lose My Mind

**Author's Note:**

> I need to work on my writing skills because I feel like this is terrible - feedback would be so appreciated.  
> (Title from Wolf Bite by Owl City because I couldn't get this song out of my head.)

To say that Credence was terrified when the tall woman burst into his house, wand pointed at his Ma, would be an understatement. He was petrified.  His mind was swirling and his stomach was doing flips as he looked at the scene with bleary eyes.  His heart was still pounding wildly with leftover terror from his punishment.  He knew he deserved it - really, he did - it's just that Ma had went further than she normally did - aiming for his back rather than his arms or hands.  As soon as Ma's attention was turned to the door, he crouched down.  Cowering against the railing of the balcony, he watched the tall woman walk towards his Ma with tears in her eyes.  She looked furious.

The tall woman made a gesture with her hand and the belt flew out of Ma's hands.  He pulled his arm towards himself, hoping that the tall woman would spare him and he tried making himself smaller in the hopes that he could hide from her.  Logically, he knew that this wouldn't actually help him disappear, but he found that he couldn't think straight.  The tall woman said something in a language that sounded like Latin and Credence pushed himself harder against the wood as he watched his Ma fall to the ground and cease to move.

"Credence," she said softly.  She walked closer and Credence found that he recognized her from somewhere, but this still did little to ease his heart.

He watched her warily and as soon as she got close enough to be face to face with him, he looked down at where Chastity would fold the pamphlets.  He didn't want to look into her eyes and he didn't want her to punish him and he wasn't supposed to talk to strangers and he was afraid for Ma who was laying motionless on the ground.  She crouched down and put a hand on the railing.

"Credence," she repeated as she reached out to put a hand on his back.  He leaned away involuntarily and pulled his arm even closer to his chest.  He could feel himself losing his balance as her hand finally made contact with the back of his neck.  "It's okay, it's okay," she soothed.

He swallowed and looked up at her.  He looked her directly in the eyes before averting thrm and stuffing his hand under his other arm.  

"W-what did you do?" he rasped.

"What?"

He gestured weakly towards his Ma and felt himself start to shake.  The rational part of his brain finally caught up with his eyes and he felt himself jerk away from the tall woman.

"Y-you're a witch," he whispered.

There was a long pause from the woman before she answered.  "Yes, I am.  My name is Tina.  Credence, I-"

He shook his head and stood back up with a pained sigh.  He could feel the old tears from when Ma had hit him pull.  He hunched over and started to walk backwards towards the stairs.  He knew he needed to find his sisters - to protect them.  He watched Tina's legs as she stood up and walked towards him.  Feeling his breath hitch, he turned around and ran down the stairs.

He tripped over his own feet several times on the way down and finally ended up at the bottom where he looked around wildly for Modesty and Chastity.  There was no sign of them and he faintly felt his blood start to boil.

"What did you do to them?" he murmured.

Tina looked very sad and Credence felt his heart clench momentarily before it was replaced again with that unfamiliar emotion - anger.  She held out her hands as a show of surrender and pleading before answering.

"They're fine.  Mary Lou sent them out to buy flour twenty minutes ago."

Credence felt his shoulders relax slightly but quickly tensed back up.  "D-did you kill her?"

"Who?"

"Ma."

Tina stepped towards him and he found that he could smell her perfume.  She smelled like peaches but she also had a hint of coffee and gun powder to her scent.  

"No, I didn't kill her.  She'll wake up in a few hours.  Credence, I've come to take you away."

Credence's eyes began to water as he wondered what he could have possibly done so wrong that a witch had to come take him away.  He started shaking and he prayed that whatever he had done would be forgiven.  He murmured a quiet apology before holding out his hands with the palms facing up.

"No, no, Credence.  I've come to save you.  You don't have to live with Mary Lou anymore.  C'mon," she coaxed.  Tina wrapped her arms around him gently and Credence found himself slowly uncrossing his arms to return the unfamiliar gesture.  He felt Tina run a hand down the back of his head gently as she made shushing noises.  Credence closed his eyes and felt his breath hitching as he started crying harder. He was confused. He didn't know a why he was crying and he didn't know why Ma wasn't moving and he wasn't even sure what his original misdeed was to begin with. He felt like his head was on fire. 

"Tina!" a voice cried sharply from beside them.  Tina let go and Credence jerked around to look at the waistcoat of the voice who had just spoken.

"Run," Tina murmured before pushing him away.  Credence took her word for it and ran to the cupboard - Ma sometimes kept him in it when he was being particularly bad, but he knew that Modesty and Chastity had never been able to find him on these instances, so he figured this was as good a hiding place as any. He looked out of the crack in it to watch the scene unfold.

"What do you think you're doing?" the man spoke.

"The right thing," Tina answered firmly.

"This isn't the right thing, Miss Goldstein.  This is not what we do.  You can't attack-"

"I can attack whoever I please!"

"Miss Goldstein, don't make me restrain you.  You're not supposed to interfere with No-Maj's-"

"I don't care-"

"Come with me."  Credence watched two men step forward and link their arms with Tina's.  He watched her heels skid in protest before giving up and walking with them.  It sounded like she was crying.  Credence heard a man say something before he heard no more voices.

"Obliviate."


End file.
